GM has shone the spotlight on the new Driver Assist technology developed for the 2013 XTS by using the landmark Brooklyn Bridge as a proving ground.

The Driver Assist Package features Automatic Collision Preparation, Lane Departure Warning, Front and Rear Automatic Braking and a Safety Alert Seat. The ultrasonic sensors, radar and camera that comprise the backbone of this system are confused by complex metal structures such as bridges, making them an ideal place for running tests.

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The system sees moving and stationary objects on the radar, then processes what to do with that information.

"The camera, sensors and radar technology act as the 'brain' behind all the safety features, feeding data 25 times per second into the car's computer network."We try to take into account how they're moving and how we combine them to reduce the number of false positives in our system," says Jim Nickolaou, lead engineer for GM.

"We found that the best way to test the system's accuracy was to gauge its performance in stressful driving conditions that could confuse it, like those conditions found on the Brooklyn Bridge."

New Cadillac models with extra equipment strapped to the top and sides drove across the Brooklyn Bridge repeatedly, testing around 2,000 different scenarios including weather, traffic volume, lightning, and radar reflections.